Reviews by mikechance:

My tasting is from a 22 oz bottle. It pours to a nice hazy gold color with a small head. I'm picking up lots of earthy smells including grass and nutmeg. It has a very smooth taste with is heavy on bananas, wheat flavors and pepper with a little wheat-beer aftertaste. For me, this is a much better beer than the Dubbel (released earlier this year). I’m looking very much forward to the final release --- a Trappist-style Quadrupel in time for the holidays. (459 characters)

More User Reviews:

750 Bottle just like the pictureA- Straw-honey colored with bigger bubble white headS- Citrusy funk with hay type undertones Smells greatT- Tastes like it smells, but seems to be lacking just a touch in body. Still has that clean Saison thing going that bites at the back of your tongueM- Allows you to taste the beer but whisks it away pretty quickO- Its good and I would drink it again, but maybe not the beer I search for (429 characters)

A - Huge pop as the cork comes out. Pours a clear orange-tinged golden brown with three fingers of off-white head. Head has great retention.

S - Belgian yeast with a bit of spice up front. Some faint fruit aromas follow, mostly citrus, and a bit of bubblegum.

T - Nice mix of yeast, spice and fruits, lemon and orange. Fruit definitely takes a back seat here. This is nicely balanced between the earthiness, spice and sweet and tart fruit. The balance does however make this seem a bit tame.

M - Medium mouthfeel with good carbonation. Finishes semi-dry.

O - An enjoyable well made saiso, if a bit too tame to be great. I'd have this again, but would like a lower pricepoint for what it is. (695 characters)

Soft, fruity with moderate sweatness and minor spice. Flavorful, flowery, earthy and quality saison. Subtle peppery note, with light mint and a hint of tea adds up to decent complexity. Well done and quite enjoyable. Washed down a raw clam or two and some crackers and goat cheese in a fine style. (579 characters)

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a large white head. The aroma is full of fruit, with some orange and peach notes. I also get some Belgian yeast as well as some wheat and biscuit malt.

The flavor is also very fruity. I get oranges, peaches and apricots, as well as some wheat and biscuit malt. There is a nice amount of spice, mainly coriander and white pepper. There is also a little bit of alcohol. Overall, the fruit in this beer is very juicy tasting and goes very well with the other saison notes.

Smell: The yeast comes through strongly (mostly banana and clove). Maybe some light citrus, but the aroma is all about the Belgian yeast.

Taste: Sweet upfront, but abruptly turning very dry (and a little tart) at the finish. Some banana, citrus, lemon and bready malts, followed by spicy bitterness of clove and pepper.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, medium body, abrupt dry finish.

Overall: I am happy this is not as overly sweet as many US Saisons are, making this quite refreshing overall. However, there is also not a lot going on, and the finish is a little odd. Better than the borderline atrocious Ovila Dubbel, but nowhere near being a world class Saison. Unless their Quad really wows me, this collaboration between Sierra Nevada and the monks of New Clairvaux is not all that great. (908 characters)

Clear golden orange and yellow. Very thin white head. Not much lacing at all down the glass. Somewhat disappointing.

Beautifully aromatic beer. The lemon and sweet citrus stand out, along with the Belgian yeast, some sweet and slightly tangy farmhouse notes, and a comforting, somewhat bready malt backbone. Very nice.

The flavor isn't quite as outstanding as the aroma. A relatively sweet saison--lemon, citrus, pear, Belgian yeast tang--all comes together very nicely.

A good, medium bodied farmhouse ale. Easy to drink.

A simple, somewhat sweet and uncomplicated, saison. Great on a hot day. (640 characters)

Very nice looking yellow beer, tons of head, very beautiful looking. Aroma was pretty dry and neutral outside of some small lemony citrus type of phenols.

Taste, very clean, crisp, pear bread (like banana bread, but with pears), love the flavor of the yeast, isn't clovey or heavy, its dry. Definitely some crossover with the belgian pale ale style, yeast similar to Westmalle. Moderate spice, don't agree with the heavy descriptions.

Another winner from Sierra Nevada, and that's not even counting the lack of a rarity grade boost that lesser beers in lower production will get up in here. (593 characters)

Big 750 ml bottle of Saison from the folks at Sierra Nevada. Plours a big deep golden haziness, looks like a bowel of honey in my La Chouffe chalice. Big white head forms thick carbonation is bursting the cork hit my ceiling and bounced off of three other surfaces. Spicy yeast notes with a touch of black pepper, fruity hints of citrus apple and an airy perfume note. Flavor is flowing with a mix of apples/citrus fruit tones and a spicy peppery yeast highlight. A solid earthy herbal background hop content, pretty nice solid clouded saison. Mouthfeel was medium bodied with a strong sturdy carbonation I spoke about earlier, really a dry finish though with the yeast profile. Overall high quality Belgian style ale that will just get better with some age on it. (764 characters)

Straw yellow in appearance with abundant carbonation, laying the foundation for three fingers of thick, yet delicate white head. Champagne like almost.

Nose is spicy, white pepper and clove predominantly, plus aromas of barnyard hay and bananas. Mild funk, but the complexity factor is just not really there.

As with the nose, this just seems a bit muted overall. As it warms, the banana flavor overtakes all others turning this into more of a Hefe than a Saison. The advertised citrus twang is also noticeably absent, which so happens to be my favorite attribute within the style.